The Cincinnati Bengals fell to 1-12 on the season during Sunday’s 27-19 loss to the Cleveland Browns.
Outside of a strong game from Joe Mixon, the Bengals looked lost offensively, converting three of 12 third-down attempts and scoring six points in the second half.
Coming out of the loss, here’s a quick look at some winners and losers, ranging from Mixon to John Ross and more.
Winner: Tyler Boyd
Boyd had been all over the place since the bye, sometimes getting good usage, other times just disappearing outright. Sunday was more of the former, with the No. 1 wideout getting six targets and turning it into five catches for 75 yards. It certainly didn’t hurt that John Ross was back on the field to space things out.
Loser: Andy Dalton
So much for the rejuvenated Dalton who got a win last week. This week was more of the first eight games Dalton. He misfired early on a pass to the big target Auden Tate and it went back for a pick-six. He had a few different odd misses, whether it was open guys or not seeing the open guys as he ran into trouble. He ended the day by completing 22 of his 38 attempts for 262 yards and no touchdowns and the interception.
Winner: Joe Mixon
It has been clear for a few weeks Mixon was set to finish the season in a very strong manner. That continued Sunday, as he ripped off big runs early on the way to 23 carries for 146 yards on a 6.3 average. If there’s one big complaint, it’s the early personal foul after he got in an opponent’s face. Dalton then tossed his pick-six. That brief lapse of composure shouldn’t overshadow the entire performance, but it was downright silly.
Loser: John Ross
The big return for Ross didn’t mean much for the offense. As expected, Ross functioned as something of a decoy. But when he did see a target come his way, he had at least one bad drop. And while it wasn’t a great call, he got flagged and had a big Mixon run called back. His return game featured three targets, of which he caught two late. .
Winner: Nick Vigil
Talk about a resurgence. It’s hard to say if there is a direct connection here, but Vigil has been playing great football since the team cut Preston Brown. That trend continued Sunday when he had a first-quarter interception. It was a downright shocking development considering for most of the season he’s been a guy opponents love to attack through the air.
Loser: Zac Taylor
Some of Taylor’s play designs were actually great, which hasn’t always been the case. The continued emergence of the running game is good. But his staff continues to just struggle. The supposed offensive-oriented staff simply can’t put points on the board and doesn’t adapt well, hence no third-quarter touchdowns since the third game of the season. Speaking of the third quarter, Lou Anarumo’s defense gave up a laughably bad run of 50-plus yards that eventually led to the score that made it 21-13.
